House car



May 7, 1935. F. DlTcHFlELD 2,000,164

HOUSE CAR Filed May 12, 1933 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 F. DITCHFIELD May 7, 1935.

HOUSE CAR 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed May l2, 1933 Patented May 7, 193s HOUSECAR -Frank Ditchfield, Cleveland, Ohio, assignor, by direct and mesneassignments, of one-half to The Youngstown Steel Door Company,Cleveland, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio, and one-half to Pressed SteelCar Company, Pittsburgh, Pa., a corporation of New Jersey l ApplicationMay 12, 1933,` Serial No. 670,725

3 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in house car.

The railroads of the United States today own many thousands of woodsheathed box cars of the type commonly known as the U. S. R. 'A. doublesheathed box car. Cars of this type, as well known to those skilled inthe art, comprise a metal underframe including channel side sills; woodposts and braces; outer wood sheathing; inner wood lining; wood sideplates; sheet metal ends; and a roof structure including inside metalcarlines. The construction of these cars is such that the inside widthis approximately 8' 6", the wood posts being disposed so that theirinner vertical faces are approximately in line with the outer surfacesof the webs of the inturned channel sidesills. Because of the woodsidewall structure, the side walls of these cars perform no substantial loadcarrying function, the load being carried almost entirely by theunderframe.

The superstructures of many of said wood double sheathed box cars is sobadly deteriorated as to render the cars unt for further service intheir present condition and the remainder of said cars are rapidlyapproaching the same condition. 'Ilhe underframes of most of said cars,however, being of metal are still serviceable as are also the metalcarlines and the usual metal ends. Asis also well known, there is aconstant demand for replacement of wood box cars by metal sheathed carsand, at the Apresent time, the American Railway Association is givingserious consideration to the adoption of a standard all steel box car inwhich the inside width between linings is approximately three inchesgreater than that of many of the existing wood sheathed box cars inorder to lbetter meet present day requirements.

Confronted with these conditions, the rail"- roads are faced with thediiiicult problem of determining whether or not to try and -keep inrepair thev present wood sheathed cars with attendant heavy andfrequently recurring repair bills or to provide steel sheathed cars thatwill more .satisfactorily meet present requirements of service.Obviously, it is to the' advantage of the owners of the wood doublesheathed box cars to reclaim or salvage as much of the same as cansafely and economically be reused rather than to build entire new carsand, further, it is to their great advantage in converting them to steelsheathed cars, to utilize the steel sides of, the cars as load-carryingmembers in theform of girders to thereby relieve the under- (Cl.10S-409) frame between bolsters of as much of the loadcarrying functionas possible and, when deemed desirable, to increase the effective insidewidth of the car to meet the prospective requirements of the AmericanRailway Association.

One object of this invention, therefore, is to provide a metal sheathedbox car or other type of house car that may readily'be converted from awood sheathed car and wherein all of the original metal underframe,metal ends and metal carlines may be retained and reused to therebyminimize the cost of conversion in obtaining an all metal car withoutdecrease of inside width and with provision for increasing such width 15whenever this is deemed desirable.

Another object of the invention is to provide a metal lsheathed car ofthe character indicated in the preceding paragraph wherein thearrangement is such that the metal sides of the car are made to functionas true load-carrying 20 in wood sheathed cars and at the same time pro-25 long the life of the car.

Another object of the invention is to provide an all steel or metalsheathed house car wherein not only is the metal side wall sheathing sounited to a metal side plate and side sill as to provide a girderload-carrying structure, but also to provide such means of connectionbetween the metal side wall sheathing andthe side sill that thesheathing may be located at any desired distance outwardly of the planeof the side sill to Athereby eliminate any necessity of relocating theside sills in the case of a conversion from a wood sheathed car and, inthe case of new cars, to minimize the lengths of the cross members ofthe underframe and consequently the amount of materialvrequired thereforin providing a car of any given over-all inside Width.

Other objects of the invention will more clearly appear from thedescription and claims hereinafter following.

In the drawings forming a part of this specication, Figure lz is a' sideelevational view from the end to approximately the middle of the usualside door opening of a house car showing the improvements incorporatedtherein, parts being broken out to better accommodate the figure on thesheet. Figure 2 is a vertical sectional View, upon an enlarged scale,corresponding to the sectionv lin'e 2-2 of Figure 1, parts also beingbroken out to better accommodate the view on the sheet. Figures 3, 4 and5 are detailed, horizontal sectional views corresponding to the sectionlines 3 3, 4-4 and4 5-5 respectively of Figure 1. Figure 6 is a viewsimilar to the lower portion of Figure 2, illustrating a somewhatdifferent embodiment of the invention. vAnd Figure 7 is a view similarto the top portion of .Flgure ,2 illustrating a modication .in the sideplate arrangement.

In said drawings, there has been illustrated only approximately one halfof the side of a house car but as will be understood by those skilled inthe art, the remainder of the side of the car will be similar and the-two sides of the car will be alike, it being deemed necessary toillustrate and describe only what corresponds approximately to onequarterV of the car. 4 In the drawings, one of the metal side sills ofthe car is indicated at I0, the same being of well known channel crosssection withthe web extending vertically'and the ilanges extendinginwardly toward the center sill.l Each side sill, ascustomary, will besecured to the ends of the usual end sill, bolsters and intermediatecross members, one only of the latter being indicated at'II in Figure 1.As customary, the house car is provided with a central door opening oneach side of the car, as indicated at I2, and with sheet metal ends orend walls, one of which is indicated at I3the latter having its sideedges ilanged backwardly so as to extend toward the door openings, asindicated at I4, to thus rigidify the end wall at thev corners of thecar and also provide means for attaching the sheet metal sheathing ashereinafter described. 4One of the wood corner posts is indicated at I5and the wood lining for'the end wall at I6. A portion of one of themetal carlines is indicated at I1. All ofthe parts so far described arethe same as employed in the U. S. R. A. standard double sheathed box carand, when such a car is converted to an all steel car in accordance withthe present invention, may be reused without change or modication, thussaving so much expense to the present owners of such cars. It will, ofcourse, also be understood that the parts hereinbefore described mayconstitute parts of an entirely new car when the inventionl is utilizedin new cars.

Continuing the description of the present in vention, a metal sideplatey I8'will be employed, the same being of Z-cross section in theform shown in Figure 2 and of w-cross section, as shown at II8 in Figure7. The Z side plate is disposed with its web horizontally, its innerflange I9 extended vertically and its outer flange 23 dependingvertically. Preferably, a metal roof will be employed as shown at 2I,the eaves of the panels thereof being extended outwardly and riveted toone ange of an eaves angle 22, which in turn is riveted to theupstanding ange I9 of the side plateand to the ends of the carlines I1,as shown. At the ends of the car, suitable gusset plates 23 willpreferably be employed riveted to the side plate and the side flange o fthe sheet metal end.

'I'he side posts of the door opening preferably each comprises a metalZ-sectioned post 24 so disposed that the web thereof is parallel to theside wall of the car and with one flange extended outwardly to providethe usual door abutment and the other flange extended inwardly. Eachpost 24 is secured at its upper end to the web of the side plate byriveted angle clips 25-25. AAt its bottom, each post 24 is extended downbelow the oor line so as to overlap the web of the side sul, asindicated at m, and is there rigidly secured to the side sill by aninner pair of riveted angle clips 26--26 and a larger angle 2 1. Theusual wood door post filler is indicated at .28 and an inside nailingstrip for the usual wood lining 29 .is indicated at 30.

Intermediate side posts, preferablyl of Z-cross section as indicated at3l, are employed, the same being arranged with their webs perpendicularto the side wall, as best shown in Figure 4. Each of said posts 3I issecured or anchored at its upper end to the side plate by other rivetedangle clips 'S2-42 and are anchored at their bottom ends in themanner'hereinafter described. It will be noted that the side postsincluding the door posts 24 are all disposed in a vertical planeoutwardly of the vertical plane defined by the web of the side sill.

The outer side wall sheathing is comprised of a plurality of sheetmetal, preferably steel, panels 33-33, withvvertically lapped joints ateach side pt 3I, as indicated at 34. The sheathing, along its upperedge, is extended on the inner side of the depending flange 20 of theside plate and rigidlysecured thereto by a horizontal series of rivets35. At the vertical edge adjacent the door opening, the sheathing islapped over the web of the door post 24 and secured to the latter by avertical series of rivets 36. At each'side post 3l, the panels areoverlapped, as best shown in Figure 4, and there secured to the outerflange of the post by a the offset portion 39, respectively. The threelapped plies 42, 39 and I4 are secured by a vertically extending seriesof rivets 43 and the lapped reinforcing plate andmain section of the,sheathing are similarly secured by a vertically extending series ofrivets 44.

Thelower edge of the metal sheathing is preferably terminated a slightdistance above the top ilange of the side sill and, due to the locationof the posts as hereinbefore set forth, it is obvious that the plane ofthe sheathing is outwardly offset from the .plane of the web of the sidesill a distance slightly exceeding the width of the side wall postsemployed, as clearly shown in Figure 2. To unite the side sheathing tothe sill in such manner as to utilize the side wall of the car as aload-carrying girder, a special member is employed as indicated at 50best in Figure 2. In the form of the invention illustrated in Figures lto 5, each of said members 50 will extend from a door post to thecorresponding adjacent corner or end wall of the car. Each said member50 is preferablyof steel and of Z-cross section, with the web 5I thereofdisposed horizontally and flush with the upper flange of the side sill,the inner flange 52 extending downwardly and riveted to the web of theside sill and the outer flange 53 extended upwardly beneath thesheathing to overlap the latter and riveted thereto by a. horizontallyextending series of rivets 54. Each of the intermediate side posts 3| isalso secured or anchored at its lower end to the corresponding member.50 and the side sill preferably by a flat rectangular plate 55 extendingover both the web of the member 50 and the upper flange of the side silland riveted to both and by a pai-r of riveted angle clips 56-56. In theconstruction best shown in Figure 2, each side post 3| is preferablyinwardly offset at its lower end, as indicated at |3I, to compensate forthe Vthickness of the flange 53.

With the construction described, it will be seen that a rugged, rigidconnectionis eiected between the sheathing at the top with the sideplate and also at r`the bottom with the side sill and between thesheathing and the several metal posts and side flange of the metal end,thus utilizingy the sheathing as the web of an all metal girder and theside plate and side sill as chords, whereby the side walls of the carfunction as load-carrying members to relieve the underframe of suchfunction between bolsters and utilizing the center sill of theunderframe for its primary purpose of transmitting pulling and bufngshocks.

At suitable intervals, preferably in line with the cross members of theunderframe such as that shown at in Figure 1, additional bracingcastings 51 may be employed, the same being of generally angular crosssection suitably reinforced by ribs and riveted to the web of the sidesill and web section^5| of the member 50. Also, to provide for nailingstrips for the lining '29, angle clips 58-58 may be riveted to the innerside of the sheathing and to which the nailing strips 59 are secured bybolts 60. The fiooring-Sl of the car, in the form shown in Figure 2, isextended so as to rest on both the upper angev of the side sill and theweb section of the member 50, and associated therewith is the usualgrain shedding cleat 62.

Referring to the modified form shown in Figure 6, the arrangement isapproximately the same as that previously described, except that all ofthe intermediate side posts 23|, as well as the door posts, are extendeddownwardly below the licor level and so as to overlie 4the side sill Y,||0 and to which the posts are directly riveted, as indicated at 63, andadditionally secured by plates and angles 64-85. In this form, theconnecting member between the lower edge ofthe sheathing and the sidesill will comprise a series of members |50, each extending between apair of posts, said members being preferably of the same Z-cross sectionas the member 50 and secured to the sheathing'and sill in the same nner.

l the ooring above the rails, which may be desired by the railroads. Insuch case, additional In the Figure 6 form, it will be noted that themembers |50 -have their web sections disposed ina plane* slightly e1e-"'vatedabove the top flange of the side sill, this t being done to allowof the use of thinner ooring |6| without, however, changing the level.of

In the drawings and preceding description,

particular reference has been made to an embodiment of the inventioninvolving a converted double sheathed wood box car wherein are reusedthe side sill, carlines and sheet metal ends. In such cases, it isobvious that the wood sheathed car wherein the sides perform noappreciable load-carrying function becomes converted not only to an allmetal sheathed car, but one wherein the sides function as load-carryingmembers, an important advantage as will be understood by those skilledin the art. Further, in such a converted car, it will be seen that norelocation of the side sills is required and that the inside width ofthe car is maintained while still providing the rigid connection betweenthe sheathing and side sills. In the drawings, the arrangement disclosedis that of a car having substantially the same inside width as the woodsheathed car from which converted, but, as will be readily apparent, theinside width may be increasedl to any reasonable desired amount merelyby making the web section 5| of the lower attaching means, wider than asshown in the drawings, the posts and sheathing being correspondinglyoutwardly offset, it being understood that proper compensation willlikewise be made in the side plate arrangement. Hence in converting acar as described, increased side width may be obtained Without anyappreciable diierence in expense whenever this is deemed desirable.Furthermore, when the improvements are incorporated in a new car, itwilll be evident that the side sills thereof may be located as indicatedin the drawings, that is, with relatively short cross members of theunderframe while still obtaining any desired inside or outside widthA ofthe car and hence permitting of a saving of the material requiredv forthe cross members of the underframe in such new cars and at the sametime retaining the side girder formation notwithstanding that the metalsheathing is disposed in a plane outwardly of the plane of the sidesills.

Although the preferred manner of carrying out the invention has hereinbeen shown and described, the same is intended only by way ofillustration, since it is evident that various changes and modificationsmay be 'made without departing from the spirit of the invention and allsuch changes and modifications are contemplated that come within thescope of the claims appended hereto.

What is claimed is:

1; A house car` having a side door opening comprising: an underframeincluding a metal side sill; a side plate; metal door and interme-'diate side posts disposed outwardly of the plane of the side sill andhaving their lower ends extended jdownwardly below the top of the sidesill and secured to the latter; means for securing the upper ends ofsaid posts to the side plate; sheet metal sheathing between each doorpost and corner of the car secured along its upper edge tothe side plateand to the outer sides of saidy posts, the lower edge of said sheathinghaving a vertically disposed side ilange extending from the end of thecar toward the door opening; outer side wall metal sheathing having themain portion thereof disposed in a vertical plane laterally oiiset fromthe vertical plane of said end wall side flange;4 and means connectingthe verticall corner end portion of the sheathing to said end wall ange,said means including a laterally oil'set marginal portion of the metalsheathing lapping said nange and a vertically extending reinforcingplate having laterally offset sections, one of-said sections lapping themain portion of the metal sheathing and the other section lapping theoii'set marginal portion of the sheathing, a vertical series of rivetssecuring said overlapped section and main portion and. another verticalseries of rivets securing the side iiange o'set marginal portion andlapping section.

3. A house car including: a channel side sill; sheet metal sheathingdisposed in a plane outwardly of the side sill; metallic means ofsubstantially Z-cross section having the web thereof disposedhorizontally, the outer ange riveted to the lower edge of the sheathingand the inner 4flange riveted to the side sill, the web being disposedabove the top of the side sill and providing a support ior flooring invertically spaced relation to the top of the side sill; and a plateextending'along and secured to the top of the side sill and having anupwardlyoiset section for additionally supporting the flooring in spacedrelation to the side sill.

. FRANK DITCHFIELD.

